Centre College in Danville is unveiling a new scholarship program endowed by the largest single gift ever given to the school.
J. David and Marlene Grissom of Louisville have agreed to fund a four-year, full tuition scholarship that will go to ten first-generation college students each year beginning in the fall of 2015. J. David Grissom is a Centre graduate who served as chairman of the school’s board of trustees for two decades.
The total amount of the gift isn’t being made public, but Centre officials say it’s the largest ever received in the Danville school’s 195 year history.
Centre’s Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Bob Nesmith, says the school is already recruiting the first class of Grissom Scholars.
“We’re enlisting the help of guidance counselors and community-based organizations, and asking them to nominate students, which they can do through their website. We’re asking our alums to identify strong candidates and nominate to us. We’re inviting students to nominate themselves if they think they’re good candidates,” Nesmith said.
The Grissom Scholars program is targeting first-generation college students who have a record of high academic achievement, and have excelled in extracurricular activities such as the arts, athletics, community service, or paid work.
In addition to having their tuition paid for, Grissom Scholars will also receive $5,000 after the successful completion of their freshman year, which can be used for study abroad, independent research, and academic internships.
Centre College President John Roush says the program is an effort to strengthen the belief that students from all stations in life should have access to the American higher education system.
“We’ve lost a bit of that momentum here in recent years, because of just the raw cost of higher education…families feeling that they don’t have, really, the chance to consider that for their daughters or their sons,” Roush said.
Applications for the Grissom Scholars program can be found here.
